Yo Ho Ho Halloween

Reviewed by: Melissa Madigan MB - Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2016

Review

Yo Ho Ho Halloween is part of the Tony Baloney series that is geared towards readers in K - 3. This particular installment is probably best suited for the older end of that age spectrum, as it is divided into several "chapters" and contains a fair amount of multi-syllabic words (i.e. catastrophe, announcements, responsible). The story begins with the main character, Tony (a macaroni penguin) looking forward to his school's Halloween parade. He wants to make sure he stands out this year so he spends his allowance money on a brand new pirate costume, complete with an eye patch and pretend sword. His teacher, however, has a set of rules for costumes that he, one by one, inadvertently breaks (wearing his costume before the parade, bringing an unsafe prop to school) so by the day of the parade, he has nothing left to wear! After some "advice" from his favorite stuffy friend, Tony tells his family what has happened and they rally around him to make a costume even greater and more elaborate than the first, balancing the relatable humor of the story with a useful lesson. This book would be best for children who are already reading independently and are ready for a more complex story structure, as well as longer, more challenging words.

Overall Book Score: good